The need to become a mentally healthier workplace was highlighted by the advent of the pandemic. There is a growing call-to-action amongst various industries in addressing the shortfalls in mental health policies in the workplace. The South African oil and gas industry is known for its global standards and competitiveness on the world stage. However, when it comes to addressing mental health issues in the workplace, the industry falls significantly short compared to its international peers. 

According to Eugene Farrell - mental health lead - the industry has failed to address mental health issues among staff. Stemming from a male-dominated industry, many find it difficult to talk about their feelings and often side-line their own and other's mental health awareness.

As the lines between work and life blur, heightened stress levels start to impact the resilience amongst those in the industry. Registered gas practitioners are under a significant amount of pressure to ensure that installations, maintenance, repairs are done in compliance with legislation.  What makes it worse is that there is a fair amount of non-registered practitioners who bypass compliance requirements. This adds additional pressure to registered gas practitioners in efforts to increase efficiency in the industry.

The oil and gas sector needs to create an open culture that promotes addressing mental health issues without fear of negative consequences – E. Farrell, Mental Health Lead

Improving Mental Health

Poor mental health not only has a huge impact on the individual employee but also has severe repercussions for employers. These include increased staff turnover, high absenteeism, presenteeism, decreased motivation and lost productivity which ultimately affects the bottom line.

Employers can create a mentally healthy environment by encouraging mental health, education, awareness campaigns and having signposts of the right support and resources available.

Here are some practical steps which gas practitioners can implement to help improve their mental health:

• Be aware of how stress affects you
• Take a time out to prevent burnout
• Set up a priority list to avoid feeling overwhelmed
• Talk about your mental health challenges
• Ask for help

Organisations and employees should take a proactive and preventative approach when it comes to mental health which will result in decreasing mistakes and ensuring everyone’s safety in the industry.